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Zimbabwe Solidarity Movement Blasts \u201cConstitutional Coup\u201d as CAB3 Consultations Come Under Fire<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Tinashe Sambiri\u2013 The Zimbabwe Solidarity Movement (ZSM) has strongly condemned the ongoing public consultations on the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3, describing the process as fraudulent and undemocratic.<\/p>\n
In an official statement released on 1 April 2026, the movement said observations from Bulawayo, Hwedza, Dema, and Harare revealed serious irregularities. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that this exercise is not a democratic consultation, but a choreographed sham\u2014a desperate attempt to provide a veneer of \u2018legalism\u2019 to what is effectively a constitutional coup,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n
ZSM accused authorities of undermining democratic principles, claiming the consultations have turned into \u201ca violent theater where regime puppets are platformed while dissenting voices are systematically muzzled.\u201d The organization said its members attended the hearings in good faith but were met with \u201cstate-sponsored sabotage, abductions, and physical brutality.\u201d<\/p>\n
The movement further argued that the process violates key provisions of the Constitution, insisting that public participation must be genuine. \u201cA process defined by assault and exclusion is not \u2018involvement,\u2019\u201d ZSM said, referencing constitutional requirements for citizen engagement in legislative processes.<\/p>\n
ZSM also raised concerns over alleged restrictions on freedoms of assembly, expression, and political participation. \u201cOur members have been denied the right to peacefully assemble and express their collective rejection of this Bill,\u201d the statement said, adding that \u201cthe forced detention of journalists and the censorship of the press during these hearings is a direct assault on the right to information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Citing specific incidents, the movement pointed to the alleged assault of its legal adviser Douglas Coltart. \u201cIn a disgusting display of lawlessness, ZANU-PF activists brutally assaulted our Legal Adviser, Doug Coltart, and stole his mobile phone. This was a targeted attack meant to disrupt our legal monitoring and intimidate our leadership,\u201d ZSM claimed.<\/p>\n
The organization also alleged that journalists were being restricted from carrying out their duties. \u201cJournalists have been subjected to illegal detention within consultation venues, prevented from documenting the chaos and the overwhelming public rejection of the Bill,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n
ZSM further claimed that crowds at the hearings were being manipulated. \u201cReports from across the country indicate that the regime is bussing in \u2018regime parrots\u2019 to drown out local residents, turning a public hearing into a partisan rally,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
According to the movement, the prevailing atmosphere has created fear among citizens. \u201cThe atmosphere of fear created by the presence of intelligence operatives and violent cadres makes it impossible for any ordinary citizen to exercise their rights without fear of retribution,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
Declaring its position, ZSM said it would not participate in the process. \u201cWe do not recognize these sham consultations. We will now pivot to alternative legal and constitutional means to fight this constitutional coup,\u201d the movement said.<\/p>\n
The group also called on broader stakeholders to reject the process. \u201cWe call upon all progressive forces, civil society, and the international community to reject this fraudulent process,\u201d the statement read.
Reaffirming its stance, ZSM concluded: \u201cThe Constitution belongs to the people, not the predators in power.\u201d<\/p>\n
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